Capital City Arts Initiative

Exhibition Dates: January 25 – June 14, 2021
Artist’s Reception: due to public health concerns, CCAI will not host an artist’s reception
Exhibition Venue: Community Center’s Crowell Board Room, 
851 E William St, Carson City, Nevada
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Exhibition Dates: October 19 – December 17, 2020
Artist’s Reception: due to public health concerns, WNC and CCAI will not host an artist’s reception
Exhibition Venue: Western Nevada College’s Bristlecone Gallery, 
2201 W College Parkway, Carson City, Nevada

Metallum Terrae
Exhibition in the Crowell Board Room

The Capital City Arts Initiative presents Metallum Terrae, an exhibition by Kyle Karrasch in the Community Center’s Crowell Board Room, 851 E William St, Carson City from January 25 – June 14, 2021. The show was previously in Western Nevada College’s Bristlecone Gallery, 2201 W College Parkway, Carson City from October 19 – December 17, 2020. Due to public health concerns, there will not be an artist’s reception. Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYiazunFDfU for the exhibition tour and artist interview.

Karrasch assimilates discarded aluminum cans and plastics into intricate landscapes and sculptures that couple attractiveness and garbage. His highly crafted pieces are intricate and detailed; some pieces are more whimsical, some more morbid. His work gives new life to discarded objects and invites viewers’ close inspection.

Metallum Terrae focuses attention on the mass consumption that serves as a mark on contemporary society. Consumable products such as plastic and aluminum are the real foot prints which will continue when humanity is gone. Littered road sides, over flowing trash bins, floating plastic, the signs abound. He aims to shine light on these indicators of waste and to encourage each of us to pay attention to our habits and consumer culture.

Karrasch said, “I like to describe my art practice like that of a naturalist and a taxidermist. I collect specimens from their resting place and carve into their carcasses, flaying their skins out into recognizable forms. Through symbolism and allegory, I use these materials to comment on the impact they have on our environment. My art is a subtle reminder of this garbage. A reminder to think about the life of something you toss away and where it will end up. We as humans can never stop consuming, but we can be mindful of this action. My hope is that the future monuments of humanity will not be the mountains of garbage that we leave behind.”

Karrasch graduated from University of Nevada, Reno, in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in art and a minor in art history. Kyle is currently working on his Master of Fine Art degree at UNR.

Josie Glassberg wrote the essay, The Alchemy of Kyle Karrasch’s Aluminum Landscapes, for the exhibition; to read, click here. Glassberg is a freelance writer whose work has regularly appeared in Double Scoop Art News, the Reno News & Review, and Fibonacci magazine. She attended St. Olaf College for printmaking and enjoys writing about art in the West when she’s not busy with her main gig as a garden teacher. During her free time, Josie likes to swim and hang out with her 8-year-old.

If you missed the exhibition in person, you can view it online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYiazunFDfU

Western Nevada College is a component of the Nevada System of Higher Education with campuses in Carson City and Fallon. The Capital City Arts Initiative is an artist-centered not-for-profit organization committed to community engagement in contemporary visual arts through exhibitions, illustrated talks, arts education programs, artist residencies, and online activities.

The Initiative is funded by the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, John and Grace Nauman Foundation, Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Carson City Cultural Commission, Kaplan Family Charitable Fund, U.S. Bank Foundation, RISE, Southwest Gas Corporation Foundation, Steele & Associates LLC, and CCAI sponsors and members.

In addition, support has been provided by Nevada Humanities through Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act economic stabilization plan of 2020. 

top image, right: Kyle Karrasch, Litter Bug (detail); hand-cut aluminum cans, repurposed wood; 2020; 18″ x 30″
2nd image, left: Kyle Karrasch, Paradise Lost; hand-cut aluminum cans, repurposed wood; 2018; 39.5″ x 20″
bottom image: Metallum Terrae exhibition flier